Narrowed it down...Suggestions?

[bushmill]

So, my search for the stand-alone has narrowed to the following:

Yamaha AW16G
Fostex VF160EX

These seem to be the most recommended units out there...ANy thoughts on these units? Pros and Cons? Newbie learning curves?

Cheers!

 

[JazzMasterWil]

What price range are thoose in? I'm not really familar with either model.......

I have a Tascam DP-01 (300 bucks). And it doesn't have all the bells and whistles (no drum machine, no guitar effects, no cd burner). But, for 300 bucks it's a fantastic unit. The intruction manual uses phrases like "push the master button untill it blinks" and not something like "engage the master switch untill it visually shows you it's activated". So, it's really simple to use.

What I've been doing is micing my drums on a mixer and sending that to one track of the unit. And then recording everything else direct. (Well micing the vocal as well). . . . And once I get everything recording on the 8 track I export the tracks to kristal (kristal is free). And I can mix on kristal and add effects, compression or whatever I need...... But if you wanted you can also master right on the unit. (but with no effects.

The next model up from the dp-01 is the dp-01 fx and it has a drum machine, xlr inputs and it's of better qualitity. But, I still for 300 bucks I got a great deal on my 8 track.

 

[NLAlston]

Bushmill,

I really can't speak for the Fostex, but I have owned the Yamaha AW16G for a while, now, and can tell you that it is most definitely worth its cost. Learning curve with it? Yep...there is one indeed. But that is going to be the story ( a little more, or less) with just about any of these units. I had wished that the unit had a larger screen, but I learned to adapt. The biggest thing that I would have changed is the way in which files had to be transferred from the 'box' to PC. It entailed exporting said files onto CDR/CDRW, then importing them into the PC via a small freeware program (AWextract). That has been addressed with its new sibling - AW1600 - which allows direct file transferring via USB (Nice).

One thing to be aware of with the AW16G (as well as, I believe, with the AW1600): and this is that tracks 9 -16 are set in four stereo pairs. But it is a super unit which is built VERY well - and comes with a belly full of great features.